


some nights are better spent in

by aizensosuke



Series: ByaRen Week 2018 [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage, Mpreg, Trans Character, Trans Kuchiki Byakuya, Trans Male Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 17:24:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16580843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aizensosuke/pseuds/aizensosuke
Summary: renji discourages byakuya from giving in to his relatives.





	some nights are better spent in

“I don’t see why you don’t simply continue wearing your hair tied back when it is so much simpler to tie it off.” Byakuya’s annoyance speaks volumes as he carefully combs through Renji’s hair, separating the long red locks into three separate strands. “This is too much.”

Renji scoffs at the annoyance in Byakuya’s tone as his eyes drift closed, enjoying the light pressure of the teeth of the comb easing over his scalp, the weight of his hair in Byakuya’s capable fingers. “You know,  _ I’m _ not the one who needs to announce his pregnancy officially at a fancy dinner with his family who hates me anyway so you can’t blame this on me.”

“My family does not  _ hate _ you. They simply disapprove of the union.” The bitterness in Byakuya’s voice is clear and Renji sighs at the sound of it, the familiarity.

Their marriage was not without its issues and the main one was outside of them, the impossible Kuchiki Clan who looked down on Renji for being from Rukongai and who frowned at Byakuya for marrying someone from the bottom of the class system. Some of them were equally concerned that Byakuya had chosen to marry his lieutenant  _ not _ because of the fraternization but because it was improper to marry someone of lower status as well.

Though the Kuchiki Clan were a noble family and well-known throughout all of the Seireitei, Renji found himself easily understanding their pretty and half-concealed words. None of them thought he was good enough for Byakuya and the announcement of this pregnancy was really only going to be the final nail in the coffin as far as their views of him go. Not  _ only _ did he somehow bewitch Byakuya into marrying him despite what was proper but he had managed to sully the head of their clan even further by getting him pregnant.

Renji knows there are more tense subjects as far as the family itself goes; Byakuya had been  _ adamant _ that none of his family could be invited to the wedding if they were still of the ilk who called him by the name Renji never dared think of, who referred to him with the wrong pronouns and the wrong gender out of sheer spite. No one in the Gotei Thirteen did, but the rest of Soul Society could be vicious and cruel toward the captain of Noble Reason when they chose to be.

“You are brooding.” Byakuya gives his hair a yank and Renji hisses at the slight pain in his scalp, but it centers him just the same. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

“How much I hate your family,” Renji answers simply, and Byakuya sighs softly as he turns to braiding Renji’s hair with simple and sure movements, always confident in himself even when he had no reason to be. “Except for Rukia. I like her. The rest I really don’t like at all.”

Byakuya is quiet behind him, only glancing up once to meet Renji’s eyes in the mirror. “Do not mistake my willingness to do this for love. I, too, am frustrated with most of my family over this turn of events. I was under the impression that I could make my own personal choices.”

“Can’t exactly unmake them now unless you want a divorce,” Renji quips.

“Indeed, that would be the case and I have no desire for such a thing.” Byakuya makes an annoyed sound and quickly unbraids Renji’s hair, picking up the comb once more. “I miscalculated width. You did a much better job with my kenseikan.”

The praise has Renji smiling as he tilts his head back enough to see Byakuya standing above him, close enough that his head brushes against Byakuya’s stomach in the process. “You want me to do it? Ain’t always a pretty sight, but it does get the job done.”

“You did this for me, and I wanted to do it for you.” Byakuya’s hands come to rest on Renji’s shoulders and there is something just off in his expression, just enough for Renji to pick up on it and frown. “I feel like no matter what I do these days, it isn’t enough for anyone.”

Renji stands from the chair and steps around it, wrapping his arms around his husband and drawing him into a gentle embrace. “Don’t say that. You’re doing an amazing job handling all of this. I think I would have just quit by now if it was up to me. The way they treat you is shitty.”

“I would agree with that sentiment. I can still hold my captain’s position flawlessly while maintaining a marriage and a pregnancy, and yet nothing is enough for my family.” Byakuya wraps his arms around Renji’s shoulders, not holding him tight enough for it to be considered clinging, but it’s close. Close enough to make Renji worry about him.

“We got time. Come here.” Renji drags him over to the bed, sits him down on the edge of it and stands in front of him, arms folded over his chest. “So let it out, Byakuya.”

Unsurprisingly, pale grey eyes meet his own, confusion evident in their depths. “What are you talking about? I have said my piece. We need to prepare for this dinner—”

“Fuck dinner.” Renji spits the words out and Byakuya’s eyes widen marginally, his lips twisting into a slight grimace. “Don’t look at me like that. This is more important than that.  _ You _ are more important than that. You’ve been bottling shit up to handle everything and you’ve done it well but it’s not good for you or the baby, so tell me what’s on your mind.”

Byakuya stares up at him before he heaves a sigh, combing his fingers through his hair. “I  _ hate _ this,” he says, and the tone of his voice shifts immediately. The cool control is lost in a torrent of emotion; most of it is anger. “I chose to marry you! You’ve been at my side longer than most and you challenged me to be better. You were my greatest rival and my best friend, I could trust you when there was no one else. I could trust you with Rukia. I could trust you to have my back. Our division was held down when everything else was thrown into chaos. There is  _ no one _ in my life more suitable to being my permanent partner and they— They look  _ down _ on you.”

“Ain’t nothing I’m not used to where your proud and noble family is concerned,” Renji admits.

“And that’s my entire problem. You shouldn’t have to be used to it!” Byakuya stands and Renji steps away so his husband can pace the room, arms thrown out around him. “All of this wealth, all of this pomp, it’s supposed to mean something? This is supposed to be more meaningful than the way you look at me? The way you touch me? Half of my family, they look at me, and they see…” Byakuya breaks off, his eyes squeezing shut. “They don’t see me at all.”

Renji is still for a moment before he crosses the room, taking Byakuya in his arms, all but crushing his husband against his chest as Byakuya clings to him. He knows, he  _ knows _ and it kills him because challenging each and every one of those bastards who lash out at the man he loves would be poor form, so he can’t very well pay them back for their harsh and disgusting words, the way they treat Byakuya like less than human for being himself.

“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know what else to say. He doesn’t think anything can truly make up for what Byakuya goes through at the hands of the people who are supposed to love him for who he is and never try to take it away from him. “I don’t think we should go to this dinner.”

When he steps back, Byakuya only looks miserable. “I suppose not. It would be… Boring.”

“It’d be had for your health and that’s what I care about more. C’mere.” Renji’s fingers pick the kenseikan out of Byakuya’s hair, careful with the delicate ornament as he sets it aside on the nightstand. “Let me take care of you tonight. Those bastards can handle themselves.”

Byakuya laughs softly at him but allows Renji to sit him back down in the chair that Renji himself had been sitting in only minutes ago. The air in the room is tense and when Renji stretches out his reiatsu, he can taste the indecision lingering around Byakuya, the uncertainty of whether this is right or not. Fuck that. He picks up the hair brush from the dresser and comes to stand behind Byakuya once more, running the bristles through his husband’s glossy black hair.

“You shouldn’t let it bother you too much. In my experience, it’d be better for the kid if we weren’t around most of your family anyway.” Renji is slow and precise in his movements, though Byakuya’s hair is in perfect order and not in need of brushing at the moment.

“I am aware of that.” Byakuya’s hands wander to his stomach, pressing against the impossible to miss swell of it. Unohana had told them just a few days ago that everything was coming along nicely, soothing the nerves in Renji’s gut that seem ever-present. “A child raised in a home without love will only grow cold and hard as the years pass by.”

Renji nods, the unfortunate truth lingering between the two of them as he brushes Byakuya’s hair. “Exactly. So it’s really for the best if we stay away from your awful family.”

“Our child will have Rukia. I think that’s all I care about.” Byakuya looks up at him and Renji smiles down at him in answer, running his fingers along Byakuya’s cheekbone, thrilled when Byakuya’s long lashes flutter sweetly. “And our friends. Our true family.”

“The people who are going to love them.” Renji leans down to kiss Byakuya’s forehead, not missing the way his husband sighs softly at the touch. “You spent so much time getting dressed for this and we’re not even going now. Let me have the honor of undressing you.”

The kimono is an elegant one in design and color, the patterned violet silk heavy in Renji’s hands as he takes his time removing the layers of it from Byakuya’s body. The more layers that leave his frame, the more the current state of his body becomes visible. Though he had been managing well enough physically, able to combat the morning sickness that plagued him for months, the resident exhaustion as his body grew to house another occupant was beginning to wear on him. There are dark circles under his lovely lines, fatigue cloaking him.

Renji picks Byakuya off of his feet like he had on the day they were married, carrying him over to the bed the two of them share. “Rest. You need it more than you’ve ever before.”

“Stay with me.” Byakuya’s voice is low, but the command there is firm nonetheless.

“I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else.” Renji undresses quickly, less concerned about his own clothing, desiring only to lie down next to his husband so he can do what he can to comfort him and hopefully bring some peace to him this evening.

When he lies down next to Byakuya, he’s surprised when Byakuya seizes him by the arms, pulling Renji’s body half-atop his own. Renji has to catch himself on his hands to avoid squishing Byakuya and their child, the rough and sudden motion sending his hair cascading around the two of them. Byakuya wasn’t kidding when he talked about how much of it there was, though Renji would like to think there is no such thing as  _ too much _ as long as you can manage it fine on your own. And he can manage his hair just fine when it counts in battle.

He cradles Byakuya’s face in his own hand, brushing his thumb over Byakuya’s lower lip. “What’s wrong? This isn’t like you. Not that I mind, but I am worried about you.”

“Nothing is wrong. I suppose I am just… Incredibly grateful to have you here to open my eyes so I no longer allow myself to be taken by such awful treatment.” Byakuya smiles softly up at him and Renji feels his heart double in size at those words, that expression. “You remind me simply with your existence that I deserve better than that. Thank you, Renji.”

Renji smiles and leans down to kiss him, one hand wandering between their bodies to rest lightly on top of Byakuya’s stomach. He kisses down his husband’s chest to the swell of his abdomen, resting his cheek against it, wondering if Byakuya can feel the phantom movements inside of him since Renji still cannot feel them from the outside. Graceful fingers sift his hair back out of his face and Byakuya trembles as the long red strands drag across his skin.

“What do you think they’ll be like?” Renji asks him. “Like you or like me?”

“The gods help us if this child is like me,” Byakuya murmurs, but Renji heartily disagrees with that thought in more ways than one. “I hope they have your hair, though.”

The thought makes Renji smile and he kisses Byakuya’s stomach before leaning up to kiss him tenderly once more. “And I hope they have your eyes and your patience and your ability to stand up to everything thrown at you.”

Byakuya smacks him on the shoulder and kisses him again. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

They never attend the dinner. Renji can’t find it in himself to care.

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like i should mention that the child will be showing up in later works! why don't you guys try guessing if they're having a boy or a girl, or perhaps what that child will look like?


End file.
